The present invention relates generally to beverage brewing equipment, and more particularly to a brewing compartment with an ejector system to quickly eject a packet of brewing material such as coffee or espresso grounds, or tea leaves, without tearing the packet of material or shaking the chamber.
When brewing certain beverages such as espresso or coffee, prepackaged packets of ground beans are used in lieu of loose grounds. This is true particularly in the food service industry to ensure consistency between brew cycles and to shorten the time necessary to initiate a brew cycle. Pre-packaged packets of ground espresso or coffee are placed into the coffee brewer's brew basket, eliminating the need to measure the grounds and reducing the amount of debris or mess in the operation. The pre-filled packets are made of a filter-like material that allows infusion of water into the packet and release of the oils flavors that are emitted from the grounds when they are exposed to boiling or near boiling water.
In the case of espresso, the brew chamber is also subjected to high pressures of up to 160 to 180 psi in addition to temperatures around two hundred degrees Fahrenheit. This environment of high pressure and high temperature has been found to yield the most flavorful beverage, but can also tend to cause the expended packet of grounds to adhere to the inside of the brew chamber after the brewing operation is completed. Where the adherence is particularly high, an operator must extract the spend brew packet either manually or using some nearby utensil such as a fork or the like, or by shaking and banging the brew chamber on a nearby surface. In the former case, using one's hand to remove the potentially scalding packet post brewing can lead to burns or at least discomfort to the operator. Using a utensil or other device in an attempt to extract the packet of used grounds can often puncture or tear the packet, leading to a situation where grounds spill into the brewing chamber and create a mess. Finally, banging or shaking the chamber can damage the chamber and lead to premature replacement of the brewing chamber, not to mention the safety hazard to the operator and any nearby co-workers or patrons.